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Federal Courts In Indiana Reimpose Mask Mandates Amid COVID-19 Surge

Lauren Chapman
/
IPB News

Federal courts across Indiana are reimposing mask mandates as the delta variant of COVID-19 continues to surge across the state and country.

Indiana’s federal courts have been without mask mandates for months. But citing increasing spread and new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, courts in the northern and southern district have reissued face covering requirements.

In the northern district, those mandates only apply to courthouses in counties with significant or high spread of the virus, as determined by the CDC.

READ MORE: The CDC Updated Its COVID-19 Guidance. Here's What You Need To Know

The southern district court made a blanket requirement to all its facilities, though individual judges can make the rules in their own courtrooms.

The only exception to the mask mandates are for people who, with documentation, have a medical reason they’re unable to wear a face covering.

Contact reporter Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Brandon Smith is excited to be working for public radio in Indiana. He has previously worked in public radio as a reporter and anchor in mid-Missouri for KBIA Radio out of Columbia. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, Illinois as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, Missouri, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.